A.S.H.E.S.: Blackout Protocol

A.S.H.E.S. (Artificial Shelter & Human Evacuation Sequence) From the ashes, the Phoenix will rise again. After decades of political tension, the planet succumbed to the Great Nuclear War of 1989. In a matter of days, cities were reduced to dust and the sky burned red. Amid the ruins, the survivors organized themselves to rescue humanity, reactivating ancient evacuation systems and building the first underground shelters. Thus was born the A.S.H.E.S. Protocol — Artificial Shelter & Human Evacuation Sequence — a network of subterranean colonies created to preserve what remained of the human race. Two years later, the last survivors work tirelessly to rescue civilians, rebuild civilization, and develop a project capable of restoring life to the surface: Project Phoenix. In A.S.H.E.S.: Blackout Protocol, you will lead a colony of survivors in their attempt to fulfill that purpose. Rescue civilians and bring them to safety, construct new shelters, and advance the development of Project Phoenix, bringing hope back to humanity. HOW TO PLAY The game is played over four rounds. At the end of the game, the player with the most victory points wins. On your turn, you can perform the following actions: 1. Take an action in your base Take a civilian from your base and place them in an action space on your personal board to perform one of the main actions of the game: Build Shelter, Develop Project Phoenix, or Rescue Civilians. Additionally, you’ll receive a production bonus that lets you produce fuel, data, or time. 1.1. Build Shelter: Spend time from your colony to construct a new shelter where rescued civilians can live and join your efforts. Take a shelter card, gain its immediate rewards, and receive income each round. 1.2. Develop Project Phoenix: Craft materials and gather data to upgrade your colony and contribute to humanity’s greatest objective. 1.3. Rescue Civilians: Take civilians from the map and place them in your shelter cards to gain immediate benefits or recurring income each round. If you complete a shelter, you may flip the card to gain additional victory points each round, at the cost of its income. 2. Move your colony Spend time on the time track to move your colony across the map. From new locations, you can construct additional shelters. 3. Move your van Spend fuel to move your van to another location on the board. Use it to transport civilians to your shelters, perform extra actions, and collect materials to craft and advance Project Phoenix. ADDITIONAL ACTIONS In addition to your main turn, you may: Fulfill a card from your hand (at the beginning or end of your turn). Craft new materials to complete Project Phoenix. END OF ROUND At the end of each round, radiation affects all unrescued civilians remaining on the map, lowering your colony’s morale. A.S.H.E.S. Protocol completed. Active shelters: 12 Evacuated civilians: 1,742 Project Phoenix — Phase I: initiated “From the ashes, we endure.” —description from the publisher